


Unbound Darkness

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Fraxus [34]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 20:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17474246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Laxus was the reason he had tempered his darkness, just as he was the reason Freed was losing control of it now.





	Unbound Darkness

    Freed’s expression was dark as he watched the patrol passing a short distance from his hiding place, his hand drifting down to the dagger in his pocket. It would be easy to get them right now, their guard was lowered at the moment as mages tended to avoid the capital nowadays and he was swifter than them. It would be easy, his fingers tightened around the hilt of his weapon, his thoughts blanking out. _It would be easy…_ The blade was halfway out, and he had risen to his feet before he knew what he was doing, but just before he could leap out of the alley and give himself away, blue eyes flashed through his mind. Soft, loving blue eyes and a crooked smile, and he froze, his bloodlust draining away even as the darkness pressed in ever closer around him. _It would be easy, but he wouldn’t want me to._ Slowly, ever so slowly he loosened his grip on his weapon before watching as the patrol passed out into the safety of the main street, sighing as melted away into the shadows a moment later.

_It would have been so easy…_

    Bloodlust and darkness weren’t new to him, the very nature of his magic had always leaned to the darker side of things, but it hadn’t always been so all-consuming. There had been a time when he had found it being pushed aside by warmer feelings. Happier feelings, all because of the persistent blond who had forced his way through the barriers he had erected around himself to keep everyone at bay. He blinked back the sudden sting of tears in his eyes as he moved swiftly through the city, struggling not to glance behind him as though expecting to see someone there. Someone who barely a month before had followed his every step like a second shadow.

 _Laxus Dreyar_ …

    Freed had always been somewhat aware of the blond, they were members of the same guild after all, and therefore he was a comrade, but that was all and if Freed had, had his way that was all they would have remained. That had been until Lucy had forced them to take a job together. It had been the first time they had worked together, and Freed had been stunned to discover that for all his size and presence, the older man was actually relatively shy and weaker magically than the younger mage had expected, and at first, he had been irritated, and ignored the blond as much as possible. As far as he was concerned, they were at war with the royal army, and he didn’t have time to guard anyone else. So he had pushed Laxus away, ignoring the hurt in blue eyes whenever he did so, or the way the blond would go out of his way to try and make life easier for him.

    However, he soon learnt that there was more to Laxus than met the eye. Stubbornness for one thing, as it seemed that no matter what he tried, the other man was not about to go anywhere and instead he found himself beginning to listen to the other man.  The blond saw the ‘war’ differently, and as much as Freed tried to block out what he was saying, he found himself tempering his actions. Before he would have taken lives and embraced his darkness with ease, but he found himself sparing the knights and finding less bloody ways of solving issues, all to see those blue eyes lighting up with relief and to see the small, half smile that he received in return for fighting his darkness.

    It took months, but gradually they moved from being nothing more than guildmates to close friends, to the point where Fairy Tail had come to expect them both to be side by side at all times, and for the first time Freed found himself believing that as well. For the first time, he saw hope in amongst the darkness he had surrounded himself with ever since magic had been outlawed, and of course, that was when it was all taken away from him.

   It was supposed to be a simple job, just meeting up with one of their contacts to collect some information and drop off the payment, but it had been a trap. The informant had turned traitor, frightened by the spread of the army’s power and Laxus and Freed had found themselves trapped and vastly outnumbered, miles from the guild and any possible assistance. Freed had immediately leapt into the fray, uncaring of the fact that he was being reckless and putting himself in danger, focused on clearing a path so that Laxus could get out of there. The blond’s fighting skills had come on in leaps and bounds over the last few months, but this wasn’t a fight that Freed wanted him in, and he was determined to get him out as soon as possible.

   He had been so focused on that thought that he had been blind to the danger to himself, utterly oblivious to the spear aimed at his back until something warm slammed into his back, knocking him forward a few steps. Years of fighting allowed him to recover quickly, downing his current opponent before turning to face the new threat, only to freeze as he found himself staring into wide, pain-filled eyes as blood bubbled on the blond’s lips, as the spear now protruding from his chest was viciously removed from behind.

“LAXUS!” The scream tore itself from his throat before he had fully grasped what was happening, his heart hammering in his chest as the blond seemed to take an eternity to fall, and Freed was trying to convince himself that it wasn’t as serious as it seemed. That Laxus hadn’t just sacrificed himself for his sake, and that the crimson that had just scattered across the ground and across his front wasn’t the other man’s blood. It didn’t work. He had never really been one for lying to himself, or believing the best in any situation and as that thought registered the rage bubbled up.

   Freed had always been one with darkness, something that had made the rest of Fairy Tail more than a little bit wary around him. Everyone apart from Laxus, so it was ironic in a way that it was the blond who had unintentionally unleashed the true form of his darkness. There was no sound. He didn’t snarl or make threats, he just moved. Dancing amongst the knights, blade flashing and purple casting an eerie light across his face as one by one they fell to his blade, and he felt no triumph as they fell, and no remorse. All he could see was Laxus falling to the ground, and the pool of crimson that he could spy from the corner of his eye and all he knew was that he wanted them and the world to share in this pain.

    It was only when his blade met empty air a few minutes later that he realised that it was over, that they were all gone and the weapon dropped from suddenly numb hands as he whirled around. He had known that it was too late even before he moved, and it felt as though someone had taken the knife and was currently dragging it through his chest, and yet his eyes were strangely dry as he dropped down beside the older man. It was only when he stretched out a shaking hand towards Laxus that he realised that he was covered in blood, and he faltered, unwilling to taint Laxus with his darkness. However, his reservations were forgotten a moment later when blue eyes flickered open, and he swallowed at the pain in their depths even as he reached out to brush his fingers across the other’s cheek.

“Laxus…”

“I’m sorry…” Laxus’s voice was soft, tears glistening on his cheeks and Freed wanted to snarl at him even as he reached out to grasp the searching hand. _Why are you apologising? Why do you look like that, when I…when I’m the one that’s going to be left behind?_ Unable to get his voice to work, Freed shook his head, moving his hand so that he could grasp Laxus’s, hating how weakly the other’s fingers curled around his. _I’m losing him…_ Words had never been his forte, but he wanted Laxus to know how much he had come to mean to him. Needed him to know, that at some point he had become an indispensable part of his life and he finally felt tears on his cheeks as he leant down to claim the other’s lips.

    Laxus’s response was weak, a fluttering touch against his lips, but he didn’t care. Instead, he deepened the kiss, trying to get across every thought and feeling that he had never been able to put into words. _I love you…I’m sorry…Don’t die…_ It didn’t take long for the gentle tickle of Laxus’s breath mingling with his own to disappear and Freed squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the life leave the other. But eventually he was forced to pull away, and as he slowly opened his eyes to find a soft smile on the other’s pale face, the darkness and bloodlust that Laxus had driven away while alive seeped back along with the thought that would haunt him for years to come.

_I was too late._

 

 

 


End file.
